Lake Nakuru
a rift valley soda lake guarded by rhinos and fever trees
About Lake Nakuru
Lake Nakuru National Park wraps around a shallow alkaline lake on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, just south of Nakuru town. Yellow-barked fever trees fringe the shore, candelabra euphorbias line the cliffs above, and the whole park is fenced as a rhino sanctuary, which makes it one of the best places in the country to see both black and white rhinos.
The lake was once famous for flamingos packed so densely they turned the water pink. Since the early 2010s higher water has diluted the soda, and most of the flocks now feed at other Rift Valley lakes, though some return when conditions shift. What you will reliably find are great white pelicans, fish eagles, rhinos grazing on the shore, Rothschild's giraffes, buffalo and waterbuck, and with luck lions resting in the acacias. Drive up to Baboon Cliff for the view, and stop at Makalia Falls in the south.
Nakuru is roughly three hours by road from Nairobi, an easy stop between Lake Naivasha and the Maasai Mara, or on the way north to Lake Bogoria, Lake Baringo and Laikipia. The park is good all year, with the easiest game viewing in the dry months from June to October and January to March.
Where it is
Safaris through Lake Nakuru
14 days
Featured
14 Days Kenya & Tanzania Big Five Safari
Fourteen days and seven great parks, from Samburu's desert rivers to Tarangire's baobabs
12 days
Featured
12 Days Kenya & Tanzania Multi-Generation Safari
Grandparents, parents and kids in one private safari, from rhino country to the crater floor
12 days
12 Days Kenya & Tanzania Photography Safari
Private vehicle, specialist guide and every drive timed for the best light
13 days
13 Days Rift Valley Lakes & Serengeti Birding Safari
A specialist-guided run from Rift Valley lakes to Tarangire's baobabs, chasing 400+ species
11 days
11 Days Ol Pejeta, Lewa & Serengeti Rhino Safari
Track black rhino with rangers, meet the K9 unit and see conservation from the inside
13 days
13 Days Kenya & Uganda Murchison Falls Safari
Raft the Nile's big rapids, walk with rhinos and climb beside Murchison Falls
4 days
4 Days Lake Naivasha, Hell's Gate & Lake Nakuru Adventure
Boat, bicycle and game-drive perspectives on Kenya's Rift Valley
10 days
10 Days Best of Kenya Wildlife Safari
Samburu, rhino conservation, Rift Valley lakes and three nights in the Maasai Mara
6 days
6 Days Kenya Rift Valley Lakes Birding Safari
Naivasha, Nakuru, Baringo and Bogoria with time for habitats, field notes and birds